$2.9 trillion: Amount of new life insurance coverage Americans purchased in 2011.

$162,000: Average size of new individual life policies purchased in 2011

Source: ACLI 2012 Life Insurers Fact Book

Life insurance supports America

2.5 million U.S. jobs are directly supported by the life insurance industry

Source: SecureFamily.org

Life insurers have $4.5 trillion invested in the U.S. economy, making the industry one of the largest sources of capital in the nation.

The life insurance industry is the No. 1 U.S. investor in corporate bonds, holding 18 percent of all U.S. corporate bonds.

Source: The Heart of the Matter, LIMRA 2012

Life is good with life insurance

64 percent of life insurance owners think they have a better quality of life than the average American (vs. 51 percent of non-life insurance owners).

92 percent of life insurance owners reported that having enough money to protect family against life’s uncertainties is important to living life as a good person (vs. 85 percent of non-life insurance owners).

About the Author

Corey Dahl is managing editor of Life Insurance Selling magazine and life channel/social media editor for LifeHealthPro.com. Email her at cdahl@sbmedia.com and follow her on Twitter at @LHPro_Life. More